-girl has brought us a bit of bad news. There's been an
accident happened--er----"

"To her puir old mither," put in Robin, whom I began to suspect of
rather enjoying this entertainment for its own sake.

This heartrending piece of intelligence touched the crowd, and Coaldust
was instantly forward in proposing an informal vote of condolence, which
was seconded by a bare-armed lady in a deerstalker cap. But the
policeman, evidently roused by our friends' ill-judged and precipitate
attempt to strike camp, suddenly produced a pocket-book from his tunic,
and said--

"It is my duty to take your names and addresses, together with the name
of the firm employing you."

This announcement obviously disconcerted Dicky and Robin; for it is one
thing to take part in a masquerade, and another to get out of the
consequences thereof by cold-drawn lying.

However, the policeman was sucking his pencil and waiting, so Dicky
said--

"You can get all the information you want from the Borough Surveyor."

It was a bold effort, but the policeman merely said--

"Your name, please!"

Dicky, fairly cornered, replied--

"Er--Samuel"--I thought at first he was going to say "Inglethwaite," and
was prepared to drop a flower-pot on his head if he did; but he
continued, with the air of one offering a real bargain at the
price--"Phillipps."

"Two P's?" inquired the constable.

"Three," said Dicky.

The policeman rolled a threatening eye upon him.

"Be careful!" he said in an awful voice.

"One of them comes at the beginning," said Dicky meekly.

"Haw, haw!" roared several people in the crowd, which was unfortunate
for Dicky. He was one of those people who would risk a kingdom to raise
a laugh.

"Address?" continued the policeman.

"Buck'nam Pallis!" shouted Coaldust, before any one else in the crowd
could say it.

The policeman turned and directed upon him a look that would have
entirely obfuscated a soberer man.

"I'll attend to you presently," he said in the exact tones which my
dentist employs when he shuts me into the waiting-room. "Now then, your
address? Come along!"

Dicky gave some address which I did not catch, and the representative of
the law turned to Robin. The latter evidently saw rocks ahead if the
inquisition was to be extended to the whole party. He said--

"Surely there is no need to take any more names."

"I'll be responsible for the lot," added Dicky eagerly--too eagerly.
"Now let's be off! Come along